The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has extended the seven- day ultimatum issued to the International Oil Companies (IOCs) till Friday, April 23rd 2021.
Recall that the union had on April 9th issued a seven-day notice to the Federal Government to compel the IOCs to allow stevedoring companies and dockworkers into their operational areas.
The union had lamented the silence of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Federal Government to the non compliance of the IOCs to extant stevedoring regulations and a marine notice No.106 on stevedoring regulations issued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
President General and Secretary General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju and Felix Akingboye respectively announced the three- day extension of the ultimatum in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The union said the ultimatum was extended following plea by NPA for a delayed action during a meeting held with the leadership of the union last week Friday to enable NPA intervene and prevail on the IOCs to comply with the extant stevedore regulations.
The union warned that its members would embark on a nationwide industrial action, if the IOCs fail to comply with the regulations at the expiration of the three-day extension.
The statement reads, “We wish to further inform the general public that the seven-day notice for the IOCs to comply with the extant stevedore regulations have been extended till the close of work by 18: 00 hrs on Friday 23rd 2021.
“This followed the NPA’s management plea for a delayed action till Friday 23rd 2021 to enable her intervene and prevail on the IOCs to comply with the extant stevedore regulations accordingly, failure of which the union shall have no other option than to embark on a nationwide industrial action.
“We have been on this matter for almost four years and anytime there is an ultimatum people will be calling us to step it down but it will get to a stage where we are not going to listen to anybody on this issue any more if the IOCs refuse to comply. We cannot continue to allow some multinational companies to be enjoying this impunity which they are using against us.”
